Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

Healthy Buildings, Green Jobs, Net-Zero Energy Buildings, + Green Funding

• Green projects may have an edge in getting funding.
• Sustainable building is a necessity, not a trend.
• Green homes: solar energy versus energy efficiency.
• Green nightclub trend hits New York.
• Sometimes green buildings may not be healthy buildings.
• Will Obama's stimulus plan spur green jobs in U.S.?
• Upstate NY office makes more energy than it takes.

Blogs worth reading: Green Inc. + Earth2Tech.

Big Box Reuse, Carbon Neutral Zone, Green Tricks, + Smart Grid Money

• Blue is the new green.
• Green gap: who's doing all the green work?
• First carbon neutral zone created in U.S.
• Boston: an old city learns new green tricks.
• Debating the green building premium.
• Smart power grid will create ~$65 B industry. 
• Why are green apartments so rare in D.C.?
• Tired of high water bills?  Harvest the rain.
• Big box reuse grows as a phenomenon.

Blogs worth reading: Sustainably + Design Green.

Recycling Truths, LEED-EB Benefits, Grid Overhaul, + Office of Urban Policy

• Debunking five half truths about recycling.
• Green building is the state of the art.
• Cheap green: home rating systems.
• Report: grid overhaul needed to handle solar/wind power.
• Man-made energy island conceived to supply green energy.
• Costco aggressively pursues options to reduce impact.
• LEED for Existing Buildings helps owners compete in tough market.
• President-Elect Obama looks to establish Office of Urban Policy.
• Many consider benefits of taking the LEED.

Blogs worth reading: Remodelista + Real Life LEED.

Icelandic Lesson, Green Retailers, Zero Energy Buildings, + Geothermal Focus

• Change?  Start by building greener.
• Utilities putting new energy into geothermal sources.
• Green plans in the blueprints for large retailers.
• Homebuilders are getting "green" religion.
• DOE reaches 50% milestone toward zero-energy buildings.
• It isn't easy being green, but it doesn't have to be ugly.
• Icelandic lesson: get 82% of energy from geothermal and hydro.

Blogs worth reading: Design Milk & Marc Gunther.

Great Green Swindle, Porous Pavement, + Public Interest Architecture

• Public-interest architecture. 
• The great green swindle and greenwash. 
• How sustainability will outlive the slowdown.
• Consumers don't know that homes produce GHG.
• Campuses find going green can be tough.
• Federal green building goals appear out of reach.
• Pavement that's porous gains in popularity.
  
• Promise v. performance: a deeper shade of green.

Blogs worth reading: CleanTechnica and BUILD Blog.

Living Building Costs, Materials Reuse, Green Construction, + Climate Engineers

• What does a living building cost?
• Goodbye, Starchitects ... Hello, Climate Engineers.
• Survey: Green construction helps sell houses in down economy.
• Think green before construction starts. 
• FTC could begin going after companies' false green ad claims.
• As fuel prices fall, will push for alternatives lose steam?
• California homeowner sues association over solar restrictions.
• Defense Dept. must use sustainable design in construction.
• Reuse to surpass demolition waste in construction industry.

Blogs worth reading: GrassrootsModern & Joel Makower.

Passive Survivability, Ecological Disaster, Sustainable Growth, + Affordable Homes

• Why can't we build an affordable house?
• Thom Mayne warns Dubai is set for "ecological disaster." 
• In Dubai, raw sewage is flowing into sea near beaches.
• Green homes: building on eco-friendly solutions.
• A dozen PNC Bank branches earn LEED certification.
• Scientists seek a more sustainable model for growth.
• On the path to passive survivability. 

Blogs worth reading: Green Your and Matter Network.

Green Jobs, Architectural Gestures, LEED Contractors, + Home Design

• Green tech industry will create local jobs.
• Prince Charles attacks architects for green "gestures."
• If you build it green, they will come.
• Rethinking home design for sustainability.
• Contractors rush to become LEED experts.
• Sustainability moves beyond buzz toward smart business.
• Are today's green buildings green enough?
• Federal judge halts Albuquerque's green building code.

Blogs worth reading: Green by Design and 360 Winnett Ave.

Green Bailout, Nature Buildings, Legal Risks, + Exposing Carbon Emissions

• Buildings inspired by nature. 
• Bailout additions support solar, wind, and plug-in hybrids.
• William McDonough: the King of Green Architecture.
• Energy efficiency and emissions of UK buildings exposed.
• Google issues Clean Energy 2030 proposal.
• Consumers given various incentives to go green. 
• Green retrofits more than pay for themselves. 
• Minimizing legal risks for green building.

Blogs worth reading: WebEcoist and EcoRenovator.

Green Jobs, Sustainable Branding, Monitoring Eco Towns, + Credit Crunch

• A green credit crunch?
• Freakonomics asks: will prefab ever catch on?
• The challenges facing green jobs growth. 
• Eco town dwellers may be monitored for green habits.
• California ad firm to green up old post office building.
• Eco-certified hotel a natural for San Francisco.
• The five principles of sustainable branding.